Annapurna

You have already seen that this is an excellent trip with a wide range of experiences that allow a real immersion in the local cultures. I will, therefore focus below on the optional elements of the excursion.

Brian Denness Highlights of Northern India & Nepal

A holiday of contrasts -the hubbub of Kathmandu, the magnificence of the Annapurna range and the luxury of the Bahari Jungle Lodge in Chitwan.

We had a superb tour guide in Kathmandu who was happy to answer any question and who took us to see the living goddess! Our original hotel was very average but we were moved to the much more upmarket Yak and Yeti for the final night, which was the original hotel when we booked the trip and is now advertised for future trips.

I really enjoyed the trekking experience, the scenery was spectacular, the lodges were very comfortable, the food really good and the staff excellent. Our guide and porters were amazing, it was very sad bidding them farewell.

Chitwan was a complete contrast, much warmer, very luxurious. We were kept busy there. The jeep safari was my favourite, fortunately we did this early in the morning when the park inhabitants are more lively. To get to the National Park we simply took a boat across the river from the lodge, so easy! We didn’t see a tiger but saw several one horned rhinos, including a mother and calf whom we observed for some time. It would have been great to have one more day there to chill, to enjoy a dip in the pool, to sit on our balcony of our lovely ‘hut’.

Our last full day, the ‘approximately 5 hours’ on a coach turned into about 8 hours on a holiday, a day when traffic is much quieter than normal. We did not arrive in Kathmandu until about 4pm, it left little time to do anything before our farewell meal. I would have preferred to pay a little extra to fly! It was a disappointing end to our holiday.

Elaine Wilkinson Annapurna Trails & Chitwan – Premium Adventure

This was a wonderful trip, very well organised and made even better because we had such a fantastic group and such magnificent scenery with great weather – my expectations were exceeded! Anish and his team of guides and porters were brilliant all the way through, always helpful and cheerful. Early morning tea was always a pleasure to be greeted by smiling faces. The teahouses were better than expected – basic twin rooms but always Wi-Fi and electric for charging, sometimes a hot shower. We shared quad rooms in MBC and ABC. The food was delicious, lots of choice and the guides did a great job taking our orders for every meal.

Julie Edwards Annapurna Sanctuary Trek